Clipper Logistics
21/6/2010
In times gone by, when applying for a job at a logistics company (that’s transport to those who remember the past and are older than they care to admit) you were asked a simple question:
“Can you drive lorries?” If your answer was, “yes” the reply was, “there’s the key - deliver this!”
Education never got a look in and training was not an option.
But, has the industry improved and do employers now care more about their staff? The answer depends on the company, but for Clipper Logistics, the answer is a resounding yes. They stand head and shoulders above most of the rest.
Clipper Logistics have shown that they care about staff, and their educational needs, by starting a learning agenda at their site in Ollerton, Nottinghamshire. This fast growing logistics company have created happiness within the workplace by supporting their employees like a parent supporting their children.
On the 18 May, a delegation from your Union, including Regional Officer, Dave Swan, Mobile Office Operator, Noel Robinson, and the ULF Project Team were invited to visit the site to encourage people to embrace the learning agenda and show how a trade union, like URTU, can help and support companies and their staff.
We set up camp in the canteen to enable us to discuss with staff what they felt their educational needs were and how we could support them, despite the fact they were having their well earned breaks and the fact the smell of cooking food was making me hungry.
This proved a successful day, a true ‘tour de force’. As the A Team once said, “I love it when a plan comes together”.
Two new ULRs were recruited to help and support the learning agenda and, the ever hard working, Dave Swan, brought a new Warehouse Shop Steward, Terry Sadler, into the group along with new URTU members.
For the learning to take effect at a workplace, co-operation from all sides is needed. When questioned about the relationship between all those involved in this learning and working partnership, Clipper Logistics HR Manager, Craig Toms, had nothing but praise. “I have had the benefit of working with URTU and the Project Team before and now we are all part of the workplace Steering Group. We support each other to implement a learning agenda with the support of an on-site learning centre, which we hope will support our colleagues to realise and maximise their potential.”
A learning partnership between URTU and Clipper Logistics has been signed and a room has been allocated to use as a learning centre to enable the continued education in the workplace.
Graham Cooper, ULF Project Manager, has allocated four computers and other equipment from the URTU ULF Project, to support continued learning on this site. The hope is that the learning centre can be up and running by the start of July. Let’s not ‘hope’ to continue this learning partnership but let’s ‘know’ this is the start of a great relationship between Clipper Logistics and URTU.
Barry Marks
URTU ULF Project Worker
